ABOUT DARKTIDE by Strangelet

Alien - Dark Tide was concieved in a night of drunken myth-playing when Myself and Deadlock decided that normal myth was "a game for girls" and decided to harden it up a bit. we thought long and hard about a concept for a conversion, but eventually gave up and went to watch tv. The movie ALIENS came on, and we turned to one another, inspiration striking us simultaneously ALIENS was an excellent idea.

Pre production consisted of a few scribbled notes and drawings on the back of a cigarrette packet, some messing about with fear and loathing and some consultation with the great names of myth mapmaking - Vista, TMBM, Creation (yes, creation), Wod and a few more peeps (who will have to forgive me if i cant remember them) to see what could be achieved with the tools and resources available. in a few days production started in earnest with the creation of the first marine unit. Units for ADT were done in poser, bryce and cinema 4DXL - props such as guns, helmets, alien body parts and other bits and pieces were modelled in either bryce or C4D and imported into poser for animation - all except the powerloader which was animated directly in cinema 4D (trauma)

Photoshop was used extensively throughout for colourmapping, artworking and unit tweaking - the actions in v.5 and 6 are a lifesaver for doing 64-odd identical color mode changes.

After the unitmaking learning curve was mastered (with the help of plenty of beer and cigarettes) and a few dead ends were eliminated (maybe we could have created the marines unarmed and enabled them to pick up any weapon they chose but it would have been a tremendous hassle) the units were taking shape and a few prototype maps had been completed. a couple of early alpha-tests on bungie net proved that the fearing was shot to hell, and as the projected release date (febuary - omg mb not) was looming, the decision was made to seek help.

I approached TMBM and asked them please sirs and madams could i possibly join your lovely mapmaking group - look what i've made already - p.s i can produce music mb. money changed hands and I was made a member. ADT was now a TMBM production and much better off for it. Although there was a great dissapointment when we had to dump all of the scripting (we simply couldnt get it to work in net play), we feel that the un-scripted game will still give you more thrillz than u can hake a stick at.

Sounds and the soundtrack were created in my semi-pro studio in london - all from scratch save a few that Wod let me use - using Cubase VST and a number of outboard units and samplerz.

The odds and ends (boring bits like projectile groups and spelling mistakes - although nobody cared about those) were tidied up and with a fanfare of seraphim, fire and brimstone, pillars of salt and blood-red moons, ADT was released upon thou, lowly mortals.

THE ADT PLEDGE -

We at TMBM will continue to uprate the features and content of ADT and release them in the form of patches. This also includes bugfixing. you will never be bored with ADT coz there will always be something new around the corner. we intend to keep up a steady stream of netmaps and MB MB MB new units too...... ever read Alien vs Predator?....

As a taster of the solo campaign we are planning, you can download a short novel from the darktide website, written by Strangelet, which the game will be based upon. The novel is entitled "ALIEN - Jihad of man"

CONTACT STRANGELET AT strangelet@lineone.net

VISIT THE DARKTIDE WEBSITE at HTTP://CLIX.TO/DARKTIDE

THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING -

All at TMBM for support, amusing insults and creative genius - especially DM, JOI, and ELI for their fearing.
ABomb for testing and enthusiasm
Deadlock for his enthusiasm and DJ'ing
Wod for letting me rip off his tracers, explosions and a few sounds, and for a bit of fearing.
Sublime for creative criticism and early help.
VistaCartel for answering questions on their forums very swiftly and for finally bringing out apathy.
Santashead at Creation for letting me use his superb flamethrower projectile
My family for putting up with me shouting "YES SIR?" and "GET OUTTA THE WAY!" at the top of my voice
Bionicpuppetgirl for constantly owning me at UT and being the best girlfriend ever. Luv Joo x x x

FAQ -

what were the units made with?

For the hundredth time - POSER, CINEMA 4DXL, and BRYCE

Whose voice is that saying "area secured" and "fatality!"?

Mine - as are all the marines.

What's Next for ADT?

a spanking solo campaign - check the website for plot updates

How long did ADT take to make?

about 5 months give or take.

Aren't FOX and H.R.GIGER going to be pissed that you're ripping them off?

Shh. they might not notice - besides we didnt sample any sounds or use any visuals taken from the movies. The alien design and concept have been ripped off by hundreds and thousands of people so i'd be particularly unlucky if they happened to notice this one. If anybody from FOX or even mr Giger himself is reading this - please dont sue me because i'm not making any money from this and i dont have any money to give you.

Ok, you inspired me to make my own TC, advice please...

Plan it. seek advice from the myth community, learn your tools and have persistance - it's alot of work. and if you have a PC dont bother - AMBER, a tool you will definately need to make units is mac-only. (smug grin from strangelet - mac missionary)

Can I use stuff from ADT in my own TC?

Yes, as long as credit is given.

Can I make ADT maps?

hell yeah. we at TMBM want ADT to become a religious phenomenon similar to WW2.

Why does the toast always land jammy side down?

because Qui-Gon Gandalf has decreed that it shall be so

Where do babies come from?

the baby tree. sometimes they come from the ugly tree.

how much beer did you drink and How much Drum Tobacco did you smoke making this TC?

around 30 gallons and about a pound. hard work y'all.

ALIEN - DARKTIDE was brought to you by STRANGELET, TMBM and the letter Q

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bet you thought there was something to read down here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

well there isnt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I told you so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

see - nothing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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